Christmas Magic
by Lilyzilla
Summary: Chihiro goes to the building that leads to the Spirit World on Christmas Eve and finds the best present a girl could ask for. [Finished! RR, please!]


**Title**: Christmas Magic

**Author**: Onii

**Rating**: PG

**Fandom**: Spirited Away ["Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi"] 

**Disclaimer**: Although I pray every single night, Spirited Away isn't mine. ._. It belongs to the glorious Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli. However, the plot does kinda belong to me, although a million people have probably thought it up already, knowing my luck. -_-

**Author's Notes**-

Whee! Hey everyone. In light of the Christmas spirit, I decided to write this quick one shot. My friend wanted me to write SA fan fiction anyway, so I figured 'Eh, why not.' Please read and review(it's my first story on fanfiction.net!), and I hope you enjoy "Christmas Magic". Arigatou gozaimasu! m(__)m

  


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A light snowfall drifted down from the skies on to the slumbering town of Kahan*, as it always did on Christmas Eve. The residents were in their cozy homes, sleeping, and dreaming of sugarplums and candy canes and the like. However, late as it was, one figure walked along a road leading to the one place she could truly call home: Chihiro Ogino. It was almost a yearly tradition for the girl to return to the building that lead to the Mahou no Sekai*, but she could never bring herself to go across the river. Fear of what was there, perhaps, or what wasn't there.

She didn't care if she was chasing a silly childhood fantasy, even if her parents and teachers called her a 'mature young lady'. Chihiro truly believed that her experience was real. It had to have been real. But in the times she had returned to gaze out at the abandoned 'theme park', nothing was there to assure her that her dreams were real...

Often while day dreaming in class, she replayed her few days at the Bathhouse to herself. It felt like it was a dream, a cruelly lifelike dream. The friends she had met there, the experiences... they had changed her life. Was it for the better, or for the worse? Chihiro liked to believe it as being for the best. Yuubaba was right. When she had arrived at the Bathhouse, had first become 'Sen', she was a spoiled brat who hadn't worked a day in her life. She was a crybaby; worse yet, a whining crybaby. Her parents weren't there to hold her hand, and she (sort of) had to fend for herself. Luckily, she had Rin and Haku to help her out, even if they weren't always there.

Haku. Kohaku. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. Whatever his name was. Chihiro had so many fond memories of that boy, that water spirit. Even if the time they spent together was awkward, or focused on her parents, she enjoyed every moment of it. Over four years, she hadn't forgotten their times together, even if other details about the Bathhouse were fuzzy. It was sort of funny to Chihiro, though. Was it really 'pure love' as Kamajii had said? What did a ten year old know about love? Not much; family love was probably all she knew. What did a water spirit know about love? Probably more than she.

She had come up with an opinion on their 'relationship', per se, in the past couple of years, though. Whatever she had felt, it honestly-to-God felt as if it were love. Her definition of love was both a thing of beauty, yet a twisted cruel horror. A living heaven and hell. The moments they were together made her feel as if she were on a natural high; the knowledge that she were to see Haku again got her through the day, no matter what ridiculous task Yuubaba threw at her. It was the times that they were apart (pretty much the four years since she had left; at the Bathhouse she could always catch some glimpse of the boy that made her giddy) that hurt. Oh GOD, it hurt.

Maybe that's why she went to the gateway between reality and the Mahou no Sekai so often. Christmas made it special, though. She always managed to find time in the hectic, commercialist blitz that made up the holidays to prepare a little gift for the spirit houses at the side of the path, a present for the gateway between the two worlds, and... a gift for Haku. The bag, slung jauntily on her shoulder, held those gifts.

Eventually, she came upon the tiny 'spirit houses' on the side of the road. Chihiro knelt down, peering inside the little clay structures, looking for signs of life or activity. As usual, there was none. For some reason, she always imagined that the Susuwatari* lived there, even though it was apparent that they didn't. Chihiro pulled out a small cloth bag that held within tiny, colorful cookies that resembled stars, mimicking the flakes that Rin had tossed to the Susuwatari in the Boiler Room. It took her a few hours to get them right, but she had done it rather successfully. She brushed off the snow from the tops of the houses and placed the bag near the doorway. She stood up, bowing her head slightly, and continued up the road.

  


Little did she know that not more than five minutes later, the bag was no longer there.

  


The path that lead to the Gateway, as Chihiro liked to refer to it, was overgrown with thick bramble and roots. The canopy of trees hadn't let snow or wind to the pathway, so it was a little bit warmer compared to the open road. Still, however, a slight chill in the air seemed unnerving to Chihiro as she walked the path. Soon, the statue that her father had almost crashed into came into sight. Soon, she found herself standing next to it, facing the archway that lead to that one, special place.

Her heart felt like a drunk grasshopper, to say the least. Despite the protection from the wind that the trees provided, a warm breeze seemed to pick up from behind her. She grinned slightly. "You know, last time you did that I was brought on the adventure of my life." she said no one in particular. The wind picked up slightly, as if it was a response. Chihiro cocked an eyebrow quizzically. She began to walk slowly into the hallway.

Normally, she wouldn't have entered the building when it was pitch black, without a flashlight at least. For some reason, though, she felt she was safe here. Nothing could hurt her, except her hopes and dreams that a certain dragon would be waiting on the other side. She chuckled to herself in the darkness; of course he wouldn't be there. Still, it was nice to think about. She paused slightly as she entered the large, open room at the end of the tunnel. It had to be her favorite place in the entire world. Except the Mahou no Sekai. 

It was funny, though. She didn't remember leaving the place in such a good condition the last time she came, and it'd been about a month. Was someone else visiting her private little utopia? Oh well, it didn't matter. The things she left weren't disturbed and no one was there. She didn't really care. She dug through her bag again and pulled out a tiny figurine, made of clay and shaped like an oriental dragon.

The little dragon, which was as long as her palm and as wide as her thumb, was painted to the most exquisite detail. It was her finest work yet, she thought while grinning. The light reflected off of the pearly white paint which made up its scales as she turned it carefully. Chihiro placed it on the top of the old fountain with a sigh.

"Mm. Haku, it's been too long.." she murmured, fondly looking at the dragon figure. Suddenly, she heard an alien sound: footsteps that weren't her own. She whirled around, and sure enough, she could make out the figure of another human being in the shadowed corner. Chihiro let out a surprised yelp and backed up into the fountain with a slight crash. The dragon figure was jarred from its spot and fell to the ground, where it delicately shattered into about ten pieces.

"You're right though, Chihiro, it has been too long." Oh Lord. Why did that voice sound so familiar to her? Tears of frustration had begun to well at the corners of her eyes. Suddenly it made sense. It was... it was...

"...Haku?" she said hesitantly. The boy, aged 4 years as she had, stepped out of the shadows and into her light. Chihiro couldn't believe her eyes. Time seemed to have stood still as she ran to him, hugging and crying with joy.

"Haku! I thought... I thought you were a dream! I didn't think any of it was real!" she cried into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Heavenly as usual, a sort of chamomile-waterlily. His strong arms circled around the girl, laying his head against hers.

"It's real as you or I, don't ever lose faith in that." he whispered fondly, "I missed you, Chihiro." Chihiro looked up at him, smiling through the tears. She laughed in spite of herself, shaking her head.

"I can't believe I ever doubted the Mahou or Sekai... or you." she said softly. Haku ran his fingers along her cheek, gazing lovingly into her eyes.

"It doesn't matter now, though, Chihiro. I'm here." he said. Chihiro grinned, hugging him tighter. Suddenly, she pulled away from him and ran back to the fountain. Haku followed, confused.

"I... Your present! It's broken!" she cried, kneeling down to pick up the remaining pieces of her creation. He sat on the floor, looking at the pieces. Clearly he could see it was a dragon made to look like him. Even broken, the artwork was exquisite. Chihiro wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'm such a klutz... I spent so much time on it!" she said. Haku took the pieces from her hands, grinning. With a flow of energy from his mind, the pieces reformed as if they were never broken. Chihiro's eyes widened with surprise.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do that, Haku... Thank you." she said, giggling. Haku turned the little piece over in his hands, studying it.

"It's beautiful, Chihiro, thank you. I have something for you too. Shut your eyes." he said, enjoying Chihiro's delighted expression before she shut her eyes. He reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a lovely necklace. It was simple in design; a silver chain and a small, jade pendant, but it was beautiful. He placed it around her neck.

"Open your eyes." he said, feeling a little proud of himself. Chihiro opened her eyes and gasped. She looked at the necklace around her neck, then at Haku. With a bright smile, she hugged him.

"Haku, it's beautiful! It's the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten... thank you..." she said happily. She loved being with him. Time seemed to stand still whenever she was with him, and Chihiro never wanted it to stop.

"Chihiro, I have to tell you something." he said after a few moments of silence. Chihiro peered up into his gorgeous, jade eyes, nodding slightly. Haku stroked her back with a sigh, leaning his head against hers.

"I've had four years to think about this without Yuubaba, or her missions, or anything like that to interfere. Chihiro, I love you. I can't think of any other way to explain what I felt, even if I seemed pretty cold. I missed you so much, I just had to come, this one time because I needed to tell you. I love you." he confessed. Tears welled up in Chihiro's eyes for about the third time that night. She couldn't believe it. His words echoed in her head, along with the sound of her heart pounding.

  


Suddenly, the sound of her alarm clock rang out, loud as always.

  


Chihiro sat up, looking around wildly. She was in her bedroom! Where was Haku? How did she get back? She looked down at her clothes; they were the same ones she had on last night. She sat back against the headboard with a defeated moan. It was a dream. It was a DREAM. Tears fell down her face bitterly. Haku was a dream. His confession of love was a dream. The necklace was a- The necklace! She looked down at her neck.

The jade pendant necklace on a silver chain glittered at her. Chihiro smiled through her tears.

"I love you too, Haku." She knew it for sure.

  


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**Kahan**- riverside

**Mahou no Sekai**- Magic/Spirit World


End file.
